DJI Ronin questions

[Chris Johnston]

Sorry for the nube stuff but I will be ordering a ronin Monday morning and was curious about "Arms" I see some posts that say you need them, then others that say you don't.
What do the arms do?
Do you need them to offset the CG when using certain glass? If so, I assume a small, light lens won't require them?
I would like to use a sigma 18-35 1.8 but also have several lighter lens that will work for what I want.
Has anyone used a ronin ? fs700/ sigma 18-35 1.8 successfully? Is it just a question of balancing?

Tia

 

[abreu-canedo]

The sigma 18-35 is kind of a longer lens. You might be able to counter balance if you have receivers or extra weight in the back, since the payload limit of the ronin is pretty high. But that'll eat up your battery. Personally, with a fixed prime and a wireless follow focus unit, I'm pretty much having to push the camera as far back as possible, while still allowing for a bnc cable out the back, even with the extender arms.

If you are going to purchase arm extenders, I'd recommend 3rd party stuff, since those DJI arms wouldn't be able to be easily changed by you. Your have to send it in...unless you're super comfortable with detailed engineering assembly. Well, that's my opinion. You should look for yourself.